Former Prez thinks Trump is a heel

Former US President George H.W. Bush in his office in Houston, Texas in 2012. (LARRY W. SMITH/EPA)

Presidential hopeful and Bush family agitator Donald Trump got George H. W. Bush so mad once that he attacked his TV.

"Trump was saying something outlandish about his sons and George senior threw his shoe at the television," according to a source close to the Bush family, who says the loafer toss happened in Kennebunkport, Maine last month.

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Surprisingly, the tipping point for the 91-year-old ex Prez came when The Donald went after former president George W. Bush and not Jeb, whom he's running against in the GOP primary.

Our insider says that the 91-year-old former president, who delivered a video address at Thursday night's Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation gala at Cipriani Wall Street, is intent on protecting George W. Bush's legacy en route to making his son Jeb the nation's next president.

"It's no accident his book is out now," says our source, referring to the H.W. Bush biography "Destiny and Power," which was released Nov. 10. In it, H.W. Bush puts a lot of the blame for the Iraq war on Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. According to our insider, that plays into the narrative that Dubya was always a personable and eager team player, while Jeb is a contemplative strategist who's highly qualified to lead, even if he isn't a dynamic campaigner.

"They want to point out that Jeb and Dubya are different people and that it's not just one big Bush dynasty," says our insider.

We're also told that politicos close to the Bush family - who always thought Jeb was more likely to follow in H.W.'s presidential footsteps than Dubya - are concerned that Jeb may miss out on "his turn" to be president once again, thanks to Florida senator Marco Rubio, who has been coming on strong lately in the GOP primary.

"Rubio was mentored by Jeb and they expected him to wait his turn," we're told. Our insider says that Bush family confidantes are concerned that Jeb is going to get "Obama-ed" by Rubio.

"If you remember, Hillary (Clinton) was supposed to be the democratic nominee in 2008 and (Barack) Obama decided to run," says our source.

As annoyed as H.W. Bush might get about Trump, Jeb Bush's team sees Rubio as their strongest competitor.

"They keep referring to Trump as crazy," we're told. "They're still counting on him and (Ben) Carson and (Carly) Fiorina to implode."